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The place is here, the time is now, and the journey into the macrocosm of artificial intelligence could very well be a tale lifted from an episode of Serling’s The Twilight Zone. What once was a mere concept as implausible as a dystopian narrative is now an Orwellian reality simultaneously experienced by Internet users across the globe.
From eloquently worded student essays and informative feature articles to song covers that mimic the voices of renowned musicians and award-winning artworks drawing flak for a myriad of reasons, AI-generated compositions have cemented the ubiquity of artificial intelligence in contemporary society. This 21st-century breakthrough smoothes out the edges of life’s complications, eliminating creative blocks faced by its human counterparts during the process of content creation.
Convenient, accessible, and enjoyable to use—qualities that make technology beloved by most and loathed by an obstinate few. Regardless of the magnitude of these opposing personal sentiments, humans can quite possibly do nothing but abet the rise and dominance of AI tools—and, frankly, it’s a frightening start to an endless and irreversible digital revolution.
It’s difficult to write about this subject without sounding like a prophet of doom. Nonetheless, the breadth of the repercussions of our budding reliance on AI may not be fully understood. Although a Terminator-esque future is farfetched (farfetched, but never impossible), the dangers of artificial intelligence and its implications on consumers, professional creatives, and the marketing industry as a whole must be closely examined and promptly addressed.
Dullness in Uniformity: How AI Contributes To the Death of Creativity
In his riveting essay, The age of average, Alex Murrell dissects the human predisposition toward homogeneity. Despite our quest for individuality, we compulsively fall prey to emerging trends that transcend the boundaries of geo-cultural attachments and idiosyncratic preferences.
Whether this phenomenon occurs as a result of globalization or our growing need for a sense of camaraderie and familiarity in an era of isolation and unpredictability, we have to acknowledge how everything seamlessly blends into a canvas of similarity—be it in fashion, film, music, architecture, design, and, yes, advertising.
What then could AI produce, if not a lifeless echo of already oversaturated trends? When entrepreneurs use AI technology to construct their brand identity from the shrapnels of existing companies, how does that differentiate them from their competitors?
Artificial intelligence operates by creating a curated cumulation of the data it gathers online, rapidly digesting large amounts of information and yielding new outputs from what it learns. In this context, however, “new” does not automatically mean “original”.
Apart from its notoriety for plagiarizing the works of artists, AI produces digital amalgamations of stylistic cliches and stereotypical compositions that do nothing to disrupt the status quo. Our increasing reliance on AI obstructs our attempt to break free from the mold of popular culture and only expedites our descent into homogeneity.
In an age where advancements in technology make the well-worn path even more alluring, the person or organization that consciously chooses to deny conformity becomes the outlier—a distinct incongruity that is recognizable, if only for its defiance against the norm.
As Murrell eloquently stated, "Our visual culture is flatlining and the only cure is creativity." Not technology, not repurposed messages, not mass production—creativity that is purely and passionately human.
Art and Innovation: The Heart and Soul of Marketing
Regardless of its form or avenue of presentation, art has the power to “comfort the disturbed and disturb the comfortable”; to disrupt hostile traditions, displace damaging ideologies, and disclose cleverly disguised mistruths. This power is rooted not in uniformity or mimicry but in human connection: a hand that extends from the self to others and vice versa, uniting individuals who thoroughly know and understand the meaning of the word “isolation.”
Emotion and empathy separate man-made compositions from those generated by advanced machinery. AI may imitate and regurgitate the repetitive themes of human cognition and repackage them under several other labels; However, it cannot create visual artworks that sway sentiments, pen essays that move revolutionaries, or produce musical compositions that incite age-old memories and uncover forsaken yearnings.
Art in the context of marketing is all about persuasion rooted in a deep and meaningful connection with consumers. Contrary to this, AI produces cold, mechanical, and uninspired creations that submerge companies and their identities into an inferno of monotony. Yes, it’s quicker, easier, and more convenient, but when you’re trying to achieve greatness or something remotely close to it, taking the quick, easy, and convenient route simply isn’t enough.
This era of digitization is still on its first legs, giving you enough time to decide: Will you allow yourself to be swept away by these early waves into an abyss of obscurity, or will you turn the tide and pursue a path of innovation and originality?
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